FCT Political Landscape Shifts as Senator Philip Aduda Resigns from PDP and Meets APC Leadership in Abuja

Former Senate Minority Leader Philip Aduda resigns from the PDP and meets APC Chairman Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, marking a major political shift in the FCT.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 17, 2026, 11:14 AM EDT

Source: The information in this article was sourced from Independent Newspapers

A Formal Departure from the Opposition

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has suffered a significant loss in its Federal Capital Territory (FCT) stronghold with the formal resignation of Senator Philip Tanimu Aduda. Aduda, a veteran legislator who represented the FCT for three terms in the Senate (7th, 8th, and 9th Assemblies) and two terms in the House of Representatives, submitted his resignation letter to the Karu Ward Chairman on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. In the brief but pointed notification, the former Minority Leader stated that his decision to leave was effective immediately, explicitly blaming the persistent and unresolved internal turmoil currently rocking the main opposition party.

High-Stakes Meeting at the Ruling Party’s Secretariat

Within hours of his resignation, Senator Aduda was seen at the National Secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja. He entered a closed-door meeting with the APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, and members of the National Working Committee (NWC). Aduda was accompanied by influential local leaders, including the newly elected chairman of the Bwari Area Council, Hon. Joshua Ishakwu, and the Kuje Area Council chairman, Hon. Danjuma Shekwkolo. This move is widely interpreted as the definitive first step of his formal defection to the ruling party, following months of speculation regarding his political future.

The Wike Factor and the Road to 2027

Political analysts have long linked Aduda to the political orbit of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike. As a close ally of the Minister, Aduda’s move to the APC is seen by many as a strategic maneuver to reposition himself for the 2027 general elections. Minister Wike has been openly critical of the incumbent FCT Senator, Ireti Kingibe, suggesting that her lack of "constituency impact" would make her vulnerable in the next cycle. Aduda’s entry into the APC effectively provides the ruling party with a seasoned "Abuja strongman" capable of challenging for the senatorial seat he lost in 2023.